We asked, you answered: as part of our Sydney’s Choice search for 2020, we polled both our own community and the general Sydney public as a whole for what they thought was the “Best Inner West” Sydney suburb.
Almost everyone in Sydney has at least some relationship with the Inner West, whether it’s as a place to live, for entertainment, or simply to enjoy a drink or some awesome local or international food for a decent (for Sydney) price. But which of the 40-some suburbs of the Inner West come out on top?
Without further ado, here’s your picks for the 10 best Inner West Sydney suburbs for 2020:
10. Stanmore
SSR Rating: 5.2
Voters saw past Stanmore’s issues with aircraft noise (perhaps easier due to recent scaling back of flights?) and lack of retail to focus on its positives including its charming streetscape and architecture, and otherwise peaceful and leafy back streets.
There’s a distinct heritage aspect to Stanmore that gives it a distinguished vibe, while the level of house maintenance and pride on display here puts some of the other more neglected Inner West suburbs to shame.
“More of a “suburban” overall character and feel despite its relatively urban location.”
It’s otherwise mostly sleepy and peaceful, with more of a “suburban” overall character and feel despite its relatively urban location.
Location is of course an obvious boon, with a mere 15 minutes on the train needed to reach the Sydney city centre.
Add in its quiet and upmarket nature, pretty buildings, proximity to prestigious schools and generally safe streetscape, and Stanmore’s positives certainly outweigh its negatives.
Read our full Stanmore review >
9. Five Dock
SSR Rating: 5.8
With its highly Italian-influenced leanings, spacious green park spaces and large and roomy houses, Five Dock has a lot to like despite its lack of direct heavy rail connectivity and some issues with traffic.
It bats above its average in terms of dining, with its central mixed retail and food hub of Great North Road feeling like a proper, charming communal main strip that’s properly equipped with everything needed for daily life.
It’s not entirely dead of an evening unlike some other mostly-residential suburbs either, with a handful of burgeoning little places for a drink popping up too.
“A waterfront aspect provides it a more open and less congested feel than many of the other land-locked suburbs.”
A waterfront aspect (with multiple parks that fringe the water) provides it a more open and less congested feel than many of the other land-locked suburbs in the Inner West as well.
While property prices can be eye-watering, Five Dock’s one for those with extra cash who prefer freestanding houses on full blocks rather than more typical terrace or apartment-oriented Inner West living.
Read our full Five Dock review >
8. Balmain
SSR Rating: 6
Full of historic charm and architecture and boasting some gorgeous waterfront scenery, if it weren’t for massive pricetags and traffic issues along Victoria Road, Balmain may just be one of the most appealing suburbs in all of Sydney.
It’s hard not to fall in love with a suburb that grants gorgeous views from so many different aspects and allows the potential of a ferry trip to work for those lucky enough to work right in the Sydney CBD, and Balmain offers all that and more.
The sandstone buildings, the pretty park spaces with (multi) million-dollar views and its buzzing cafe, market and drinking/dining scene means there’s always something going on.
“If it weren’t for massive pricetags and traffic issues along Victoria Road, Balmain may just be one of the most appealing suburbs in all of Sydney.”
Balmain’s multiple quality pubs score points both good and bad, with plenty of choice for enjoyable and historic places for a drink but with the occasional spillover effect of some drunken drama that goes along with it.
Parks, schools, and enough amenities to get by without leaving the suburb on a regular basis all score points in Balmain’s favour; it’s just a shame it can be such a chore to get in and out of, particular during peak commute hours.
Read our full Balmain review >
7. Newtown
SSR Rating: 5.3
Everyone’s favourite Sydney hub of bohemian boutique stores, live music and independent dining clocked in at #7, which may for some seem too low for what is basically the “embodiment” of the typical Inner West mindset.
While Newtown’s not without its faults (hello, driving down King Street at basically any hour of the day before midnight), it’s hard to argue that there are few suburbs that offer a better cross-section of unique things to see and do.
The array of cool, authentic and hidden restaurants here really is worth rating in itself. It’s possible to return to Newtown countless times and not have sampled all its highly-regarded cuisines whether they be Thai, Italian, Aussie or anywhere else across the globe.
Ditto for drinking spots, as Newtown became the go-to alternative in response to the now-repealed lockout laws and has still retained much of its popularity.
“It’s possible to return to Newtown countless times and not have sampled all its highly-regarded cuisines.”
Newtown’s character IS changing however; while its legacy of art and artistic expression still remains, gentrification has jacked up the price for what used to be considered a “dodgy” part of Sydney to staggering levels.
It’s still got some issues with safety at nights (“alcohol + people = occasional violence” is basic math) and isn’t the cleanest or greenest suburb in the world, either – but its edge is part of what helps differentiate it from other, blander Sydney suburbia.
Newtown may not be the best place to LIVE in the Inner West, but it sure as hell remains a worthwhile place for a visit.
Read our full Newtown review >
6. Rhodes
SSR Rating: 5.4
While we were somewhat surprised to see you rank Rhodes this highly, there’s a clear differentiation here in what kind of an atmosphere it provides to most other suburbs in the Inner West that might appeal to a whole different subset of people.
If you prefer your Sydney suburbs cleaner, more modern and highly landscaped as opposed to gritty, then much of Rhodes is exactly that; it’s hard to find a suburb more different to, say, Newtown above.
Rhodes still does provide decent connectivity via public transport, and its abundance of newly-constructed apartments means it’s possible to buy a modern place to live with a slightly less ridiculous pricetag.
“Not bad for a place that used to be a “no-go” due to contamination issues.”
It’s highly well-equipped in terms of retail and shopping needs courtesy of the Rhodes Waterside complex, and its foreshore areas along the Parramatta River provide some pretty nice and open views, despite the mangrove smell.
In addition, people often forget the “other” side of Rhodes across the highway which offers quite nice and roomy waterfront and parkland-oriented living. This area is home to one of our favourite little gems in Sydney in the Kokoda Memorial Park with its exotic imported plants, running creek and tribute to our veterans as well.
Not bad for a place that used to be a “no-go” due to contamination issues.
5. Earlwood
SSR Rating: 5.7
What Five Dock is to the Italians, Earlwood is about equivalent to the Greeks. Quiet, unassuming and probably greener than you’d think, Earlwood is one of the better-value suburbs in the region even if it is scratching the “outer portions” of what one might consider the Inner West.
With its main array of older, roomier homes that date back several decades and sit on big blocks, Earlwood is an alternative to some of the more “brand name” Inner West suburbs that can end up saving you a couple of hundred thousand dollars on property.
This comes without having to compromise too much in terms of distance from the Sydney CBD despite not having its own train station (as it’s bordered by several).
“Earlwood is one of the better-value suburbs in the region even if it is scratching the “outer portions” of what one might consider the Inner West.”
It’s got a decent and growing little array of eateries and shops, supermarkets, fresh grocers and the like and feels quite communal in general, with groups frequently drinking coffee and chatting either along the street at cafes or even in friends’ front yards.
Add in some top-notch and quite unique park/garden public spaces and a general helping of peace and quiet, and Earlwood’s one for those who prefer things more laid-back rather than action-packed.
Read our full Earlwood review >
4. Leichhardt
SSR Rating: 5.7
One of Sydney’s must-visit suburbs for anyone who has even a passing interest in food, Leichhardt is home to some of the best local dining in the city.
Cafe-and-restaurant heavy, Norton Street in itself is a worthy bastion of spots to indulge your tastebuds, while its general amenities are also well-equipped in terms of retail and daily needs as well.
Its European heritage shows in one of the more interesting streetscapes in suburban Sydney as well, with flourishes of Italian-influenced construction eviden in multiple important buildings and parks throughout its streets.
“One of Sydney’s must-visit suburbs for anyone who has even a passing interest in food.”
Leichhardt is also a hub for frequent annual and cultural live events that embrace the multi-cultural side of Sydney to the fullest, and are simply fun to be a part of despite how busy they often get. Its mostly-terrace streets are full of character, and it’s largely safe overall.
Connectivity to the light rail system helps with getting from A to B, and its parks are spacious and great for dogs and kids alike. Yes, dealing with Parramatta Road sucks and yes, Leichhardt’s level of airplane noise is famous (or infamous?) throughout Sydney, but it’s hard to find a suburb in the Inner West with more authenticity and flavour.
Read our full Leichhardt review >
3. Marrickville
SSR Rating: 5.6
In many ways, Marrickville can probably be considered the face of the “modern” Inner West. It’s currently sitting in a spot that’s half-way between gentrification and its original grit, leading to an atmosphere that’s notably safer – but also a little more generic – than it was in the past.
New slick and modern cafes are being retrofitted into old warehouse and storage spaces, and its mix of dining and international food offerings continues to grow at a rapid pace as well.
There are few better places in Sydney outside of Cabramatta to enjoy authentic Vietnamese food, and you seemingly can’t walk around a corner without stumbling across a cool new little micro-brewery.
“In many ways, Marrickville can probably be considered the face of the “modern” Inner West.”
It’s still got elements of quirks and culture, though. Despite its modern shopping amenities and increasingly unaffordable property prices, street art/graffiti is still frequent and there’s enough cool little original independent and artistic businesses to help balance out its more sterile aspects.
While it may have had its time in the sun as the latest “cool” place in Sydney, it’s still a pretty diverse suburb with some interesting mixed heritage that’s easily accessible via public transport – despite its own problems with aircraft noise.
Read our full Marrickville review >
2. Annandale
SSR Rating: 6
It’s not hard to see why you ranked Annandale as such a desirable place to be. It’s so close to the city to practically feel “in” Sydney city; the prospect to be able to bike or even possibly walk to work if you’re feeling sprightly is one few other suburbs without dodgy elements can offer.
Annandale’s undeniably pretty, too, with its array of heritage buildings and architecture of Victorian, Gothic and other styles. It’s leafy and green, and boasts wider main streets than many of its other peers in such a dense part of Sydney.
“It’s so close to the city to practically feel “in” Sydney city.”
It’s home to a solid array of cafes and a cafe-centric culture in general, and while it’s not exactly a nightlife hotspot, its solid hotels and access to breweries – and, yes, even live music in Sydney *gasp* – help set it aside from what would appear to be more of a standard stuffy, overly wealthy inner city neighbourhood. For more upbeat options, the busier suburbs like Newtown are only a stone’s throw away as well.
Of course, all these positives in Annandale come with a hefty pricetag, and its relative lack of high-density apartments means there’s an exclusivity barrier to living here, but for those who can do so there’s few faults outside of its traffic hotspots and spots of plain noise.
Read our full Annandale review >
1. Summer Hill
SSR Rating: 6.6
Voting-wise, Summer Hill blew the rest of its sister suburbs out of the water during our polling period, garnering an impressive 18% of the total votes.
It’s not surprising to us, as it’s also the suburb which we’ve given the highest ratings of those in this list, and also one we currently list among our 10 Best Suburbs to Live in Sydney for 2020.
Much of this is probably due to Summer Hill offering one of the best balances of each part most people like about the Inner West without needing to excel in one particular area.
Want convenient access to the city? 15 minutes by train is all it takes. Want peace and quiet without living in the middle of nowhere? Summer Hill ticks both boxes. Want a safe place to live while still actually having something to do? Summer Hill ranks as one of the safer suburbs in the Inner West statistically, while still having a vibrant “village square” for daily needs.
“This is probably due to Summer Hill offering one of the best balances of each part most people like about the Inner West without needing to excel in one particular area.”
It’s clean without being sterile; it’s well-enough equipped without being overly-commercialised; and it’s green enough while still offering a decent diversity of housing options – including some newer high-density builds for those who can’t afford its many grander homes – and not being made too bland or concrete-jungle-ish.
Plenty of access to good schools, gorgeous streets and a chill overall vibe all contribute to make Summer Hill your top choice of Best Inner West Suburb – and one we’d struggle to disagree with.
Read our full Summer Hill review >
Honourable mentions: Ashfield, Concord, Erskineville
You can view our full list to date of Inner West suburb reviews here.
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